QUALITITATIVE RESEARCH: THE

ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THEORY AND

PRACTICE
MAGGI SAVIN-BADEN AND CLAIRE HOWELL-MAJOR
Oxford: Routledge, 2013
608 pages (£28.56 paperback)
ISBN: 9780415674782 (paperback)

Qualitative Research: The Essential Guide to Theory and Practice is intended

to be a one-stop resource for all those approaching qualitative research for
the first time, as well as providing an overview of core concepts and issues for
those revisiting this vastly expansive, and rapidly expanding, subject area.
The book is intended to be both a handbook providing practical guidelines on
conducting qualitative research, and a jump off point for reflection on the
philosophical and theoretical underpinnings for different qualitative research
methodologies.
To these ends, each aspect of the respect process is covered for a
plethora of approaches, from selecting a research project, to choosing a
research design, how to go about data collection and analysis and, finally,
how to interpret and write up the findings. The book also helpfully considers
the more general philosophical basis of qualitative research compared to the
positivistic underpinnings of most quantitative research. Overall, the book
would provide a useful companion to most undergraduate and postgraduate
course on research methodology, and the principles could be applied across
practically all social research contexts.
The text is divided into seven sections, which cover a range of
integrated topics. Part 1 ‘Considering perspectives’ locates qualitative
approaches in terms of its relation to quantitative positivist approaches and
provides information regarding the practical and theoretical choices a
qualitative researcher may have to make during the process. In Part 2,
‘Acknowledging a position’, the authors discuss the array of philosophical
perspectives that may inform different methodologies. Part 3 ‘Framing the
study’ provides a model for conceptual approaches across the spectrum of
qualitative approaches and introduces the authors’ own conceptual innovation
‘the Qualitative Wheel of Research Choices’. In Part 4, ‘Choosing a research
approach’ the authors outline the details of ten research methods that are
often used by qualitative researchers. Part 5 ‘Collecting data’ covers issues
relating to conducting research, including selecting a research context and
participants, as well as discussing gaining ethical approval. In part 6, ‘Working
with data and findings’, the authors discuss how to code data, alongside
analysis and interpretation of the research findings (including insuring quality).
Finally, Part 7 ‘Writing about the research’ explores how the author might
position themselves in the text, as well as writing up the research for
publication.
 A key innovation provided by the book is the Qualitative Wheel of
Research Choices. This tool provides a means by which qualitative
researchers can conceptualise the five ‘moments of choice’ the authors
consider crucial in the process of going about qualitative research. These five
moments include: choice of research paradigm (e.g. phenomenological, social
constructionist etc.); choice of research phenomenon (e.g. individuals, groups,
concepts etc.); selection of qualitative research approach (e.g. grounded
theory, narrative etc.); data collection approach (e.g. interview, observation,
focus group etc.); and analytic strategy (e.g. thematic analysis, content
analysis, constant comparison etc.). The Qualitative Wheel of Research
Choices is then set against the concept of a set of ‘research lenses’, which is
basically a means by which researchers can locate their research according
to the paradigm, phenomenon, approach, data collection and analysis of the
research study. The text is helpfully illustrated with clear diagrams of the
Wheel and the different research lenses, along with illustrations of how these
concepts may interact.
Also included in the book is 12-month access to an Interactive
eTextbook. This facility offers the purchaser access to a range of resources
including author videos introducing the book and the Qualitative Wheel of
Research Choices, an Interactive version of the Qualitative Wheel of
Research Choices, exclusive chapters on writing and publishing qualitative
research, links to relevant journals, conferences and online resources,
additional case study abstracts and the ability to highlight, annotate, cut and
paste, and notes that can be shared across the classroom. The addition of the
online materials represent a fairly comprehensive and helpful accompaniment
to the book itself, especially in terms of providing a more dynamic, interactive
version of the Qualitative Wheel of Research Choices.
Overall, the book presents a fairly comprehensive overview of key
developments in the field of qualitative inquiry, and gives plenty of practical,
hands-on advice on how to conduct a successful qualitative study. Each
chapter contains an array of relevant, real-life examples from expert
researchers around the globe to illustrate the main theoretical and
methodological research topics. The diversity of research methods covered by
the book is also broad and inclusive. Again, each method is illustrated with the
use of practical examples from leading experts in the fields of education,
sociology, psychology, social sciences and health.
The strength of inclusivity is also a weakness in some respects: whilst
the breadth is welcome, the depth is sometimes lacking. In trying to
encompass a range of research methods I sometimes thought the authors
provided an over-simplified account of some approaches. The chapter on
Ethnography, for example, I thought did not account for the complexities of
the manifold variations of this method. I also wondered whether there was too
much consideration of paradigmatic factors against pragmatic ones. However,
the authors do provide useful references and options for further reading for
the more advanced or curious researchers.
 Another weakness is the authors’ use of the Qualitative Wheel of
Research Choices. In a market saturated with textbooks and how-to manuals,
the authors’ attempts to innovate here are both welcome and unique.
However, I found the Wheel to be a bit over-complicated and not very user-
friendly. It is worth noting that the dynamic interface of the interactive online
version makes the process more comprehensive. Still, I’m not convinced such
an innovation is really necessary or adds anything substantial to what is
already out there on the topic.
Such criticisms aside, Qualitative Research: The Essential Guide to
Theory and Practice provides a useful and comprehensive introduction to this
often perplexing area. I believe it would be a good place to start as any for the
beginning and neophyte qualitative social researcher.

Reviewed by Dr Simon Clarke,

Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing,
University Of Nottingham